Many families are still crowded into one-bedroom FEMA trailers even 2 years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the US Gulf Coast. The Building Goodness Foundation has been providing relief to these cramped conditions building extra rooms for storage or a living room, even an extra bedroom. Over 150 of these extra rooms have been built in Pearlington, MS.

Brad Guy of Building Materials Reuse Association with the help of Bryan Bell and Sergio Palleroni decided to use material from the 50,000 houses being demolished after the hurricane — just 5% of this material equals 53,000,000 board feet, enough to build 3,800 houses. With the help of Design Corps’ Summer Studio students who studied re-use and community design they built 2 test sheds. The results have been well received by the clients. Matt Abel was hiding tools in the woods while he built his home, now he has a place to safely store them. Billy Ray Raine, a senior volunteer coordinator, a fisherman will have a working unit to clean and provide food for his family. In both cases the rooms met the exact needs of the clients.

As examples of successful re-use of salvaged materials the sheds showcase alternative solutions to the purchase new materials. The sheds are simple, economical solutions using local materials to solve the immediate and pressing needs for the multitude still waiting for relief.